We would like to reassure all of our patients that we at Pain Specialists of Orange County do not use methylprednisolone acetate in our treatments and have never purchased any product from New England Compounding Center.

Lumbar
and Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections

An
epidural injection places anti-inflammatory
medicine into the epidural space to decrease
inflammation of the nerve roots, hopefully reducing or managing
the pain in the back or legs. The epidural injection
may help the injury to heal by reducing inflammation.
It may provide permanent relief or provide a
period of pain relief for several months while
the injury/cause of pain is healing.

Lumbar
and Cervical Facet Blocks

Facet
joints are small joints that attach the vertebral
bodies together and allow motion such as flexion,
extension and turning in the spinal column.
Similar to other joints, facet joints can also
develop arthritis type conditions and be a source
of back pain. Facet joint pain can be diagnosed
by physical exam, x ray and diagnostic injections
called facet blocks.

Radiofrequency
Lesioning

Selective
Nerve Root Blocks

Selective
Nerve Root Blocks is performed with the aid
of fluoroscopic x-ray imaging in injecting a
small amount of local anesthetic and steroid
in close proximity to the spinal nerve root
where the pain is being generated. This method of pain management
is more effective as the medicine is placed
closer to the pain generating site.

Cryoanalgesia

Cryoanalgesia
therapy has widespread and diverse application
in the fields of pain management and neurosurgery.
Cryoanalgesia is a technique in which low temperatures
are used to produce pain relief. Cryoanalgesia
is best suited for those clinical situations
in which analgesia is required for weeks to
months.

Discography

Discography
is a diagnostic test by which the integrity
of an intervertebral disc is tested through
injection of contrast material in the disc.
Normal discs can withstand certain amount of
pressure without pain. Abnormal discs such as
those with tears or degeneration will be painful
with pressurization. A discogram is typically
followed by a CT scan to evaluate the spread
of contrast within the disc.

Percutaneous
Disc Decompression

New
technology now allows decompressing herniated
discs through small needles placed through the
skin without a surgical incision. Various techniques
are available to do this procedure. Recovery and pain reduction
is much quicker than surgical procedures.

Intrathecal
Pumps (Morphine Pump)

Medicines
taken orally get diffused throughout the entire
body which means that a great deal of medication
must be ingested in order to get the appropriate
quantities to the place it is needed most to
ease pain: the spinal cord. Now we have the
ability to get that medicine to exactly where
it’s needed. By surgically implanting
a pump under the skin of a person’s abdomen,
and running a catheter to the precise location
in the spine where the pain is, we can pump
medication directly into the spinal fluid, allowing
for a much more potent effect on the spinal
cord and pain management. This drastically cuts down the dose of
medication that is needed, and the medication
often provides even better pain relief with
much fewer side effects.

Stellate
Ganglion Block

A
block that is performed under fluoroscopy to
determine if there is damage to the sympathetic
nerve chain and if it is the source of the patient’s
arm pain. This is primarily a diagnostic block
but it may provide pain relief in excess of
the duration of the anesthetic.

Lumbar
Sympathetic Block

A
Lumbar Sympathetic nerve Block involves injecting
medicine around the sympathetic nerves in a
lumbar or cervical area. By doing this, the
system is temporarily blocked in hopes of reducing
or eliminating pain. If the initial block is
successful, then additional blocks are generally
repeated in 7-10 days and repeated again until
the pain diminishes.

Celiac
Plexus Block

By
blocking the Celiac Plexus, pain in the abdomen
from tumors such as pancreatic tumors can be
effectively treated. This procedure is usually
reserved to patients with severe abdominal pain
due to cancer.

Spinal
Cord Stimulator Trials

In
the wide world of pain-relief treatment options,
one that has been successful for many chronic
back pain sufferers is spinal cord stimulation.
In this therapy, electrical impulses are used
to block pain from being perceived in the brain.
Instead of pain, the patient feels a mild tingling
sensation.

Sacroiliac
Joint Injections

The
sacroiliac facet joints are a small joint in
the region of the low back and buttocks where
the pelvis actually joins with the spine. If
the joints become painful they may cause pain
in the low back, buttocks, abdomen, groin or
legs.

A sacroiliac joint injection serves several
purposes in pain management. First, by placing numbing medicine
into the joint, the amount of immediate pain
relief experienced will help confirm or deny
the joint as a source of pain. Additionally,
the temporary relief of the numbing medicine
may better allow a chiropractor or physical
therapist to treat that joint. Also, time release
cortisone (steroid) will help to reduce any
inflammation that may exist within the joint(s).

Trigger
Point Injections

Specific
areas in muscles and tendon/ligaments that are
tender to touch are called Trigger Points. These
can be injected by local anesthetic and steroid
(cortisone) combination to relax the affected
muscle and/or reduce inflammation in the area.